Thursday, March 27, 2014

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Samantha
is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her
best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth,
and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has
resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened
to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before,
she realizes it’s one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took
“mean girl” to a whole new level, and it’s clear she and Cassie were
more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is
like winning the lottery. She’s getting a second chance at being a
better daughter, sister, and friend, and she’s falling hard for Carson
Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam
treated him like trash.

But Cassie
is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night
isn’t just buried deep inside of Sam’s memory-someone else knows,
someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the
truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night,
she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

A couple of weeks ago, the FANTABULOUS folks at Disney-Hyperion sent me this box.

I saw it and immediately channeled Brad Pitt...

"What's in the box?

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?"

This is what was in the box.

*cue flailing*

And playing!

And of course, READING!!

Don't Look Backis a skillfully crafted psychological thriller that will leave you guessing right up until the very end! (This book stressed the crap out of me, but in a good way.)
Infused with strong characters, Armentrout's signature wit and romantic
tension, it is unlike any of her previous works, but fans need not
worry.

BECAUSE CARSON!

Not really.

Okay, maybe a little. Everyone
makes mistakes and there isn't one person who hasn't said, "Can I get a
do-over, please?" at least once in their life. Sam is no different, except she didn't exactly ask for her "do-over", especially since it involves blood, cryptic notes and one creepyars music box. But Sam does the best she can to piece together what few details she remembers about "that night", while attempting to make amends with the people she wasn't very nice to.
People like her twin brother Scott, and Julie and Carson. Even her
mother who is not the easiest of people to like. But most of all,
Carson. Carson
and Sam used to be close, like, no shirt, no shoes required, close.
(Okay, so they were little kids, but still.) And then things changed. Sam
changed when she started hanging out with Cassie and Del. By the time
"that night" happens, Carson has been relegated to the son of the help.
Silly, silly, Sam. But as she starts to remember more about what happened and the kind of person she was, Sam discovers things aren't all rainbows and sunshine. It's more like, well, I can't really say without ruining the story, but let's go with, dangerous, shocking, and heartbreaking.One of my favorite things about this book, other than Carson, because we've already established that, is how the people around Sam, the ones she's hurt the most in recent years, are willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and a second chance. Even if she might not deserve it. Don't Look Back is definitely full of chills (even without my mask on). Read it for yourself, but you might wanna stay away from music boxes because they're just creepy.